If patience is a virtue, my father was a very virtuous man. Remembering back to my younger days, so many of my memories are of being at his elbow observing and absorbing all his knowledge on the subject of cooking and baking. I’m not sure if he was consciously making sure I learned these skills, or if he just liked having company in the kitchen as he prepared our nightly dinners or baked a special occasion cake. Either way, there must have been times when it would have been easier or faster to just do it himself. I never remember him shooing me out of his way so as to get a meal on the table in a more timely manner. Neither do I recollect a time when he corrected my amateur skills with an expectation that I should be more advanced than my young age would allow. Was he cringing as I overworked the frosting on a cake, or missed large sections of peel while preparing the potatoes for dinner? Possibly. If he did, he never let on. I now realize that this is where my confidence in the kitchen first took root. He allowed me to bloom in my own way, slowly and proudfully.
This summer has been a whirlwind of company coming and going in my home. There have been times when I barely had time to wash sheets and change beds before there was a knock at the door and the next visitors made their arrival. I welcome the laughter, conversation, and the flurry of activity that accompanies having guests in my home. My brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece and nephew have been with us for the past week. There were people to cook and bake for – and I couldn’t have been happier.
Having little helping hands in the kitchen offers me the opportunity to polish the sometimes rougher edges of my patience. Baking with my niece this week presented the opportunity to coax one willing student further along her path towards being a confident baker. Dad’s wisdom guides me as I remind myself that perfectionism has no place when teaching children how to bake. And I am happy for that reminder. It is easy to get caught up in believing that what I create has to be perfect – especially since starting this blog. But, with perfectionism comes judgement – and there is no room for that when we are creating delicious things to eat.
Coco, thank you for baking with me this past week. Thank you for reminding ME to slow down. Although I was the teacher, it was you who taught me the more valuable lesson. Working along side of you as we baked these cookies, you taught me to be mindful of the process. In this “hurry-up”, “everything needs to be done yesterday” world we live in, I am so grateful for the opportunity to escape into baking – and especially for the times I have the chance to do it with “little hands”.
With the abundance of zucchini arriving en masse at the farmer’s market and in home gardens this time of year, these cookies offer a SWEET way to put a few of them to good use. Perfect for a picnic, or, replace the cream cheese filling with a scoop of your favorite ice cream for a delicious frozen treat.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated zucchini – pressed between paper towels to extract some of the moisture
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Filling (see recipe below)
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Have ready two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl.
With an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Mix in the zucchini, oats, and walnuts. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. The dough can be prepared to this stage and refrigerated over-night.
Using a 1 or 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop (I used the 1-inch and liked the smaller size for this cookie), drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden , about 14 to 17 minutes depending on the size ice cream scoop used. Let rest a few minutes before removing them to a rack to cool. When completely cooled, spread 1 heaping tablespoon of filling on flat side of 1 cookie and then sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies.
Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
Beat together all ingredients until smooth.
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart
